


Happy Birthday

by sad_goomy



Series: Lonashipping Week 2018 [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: ....yeah, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, LONASHIPPING WEEK, Light Angst, Time Skips, do you ever remember Gladion is such an inherently tragic character and then get real sad, lonashipping, mahinashipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sad_goomy/pseuds/sad_goomy
Summary: A look at where Gladion started, and where he never dreamed that he'd end up.





	Happy Birthday

 

Gladion deadbolts the door behind him, drawing the curtains closed on the dusk approaching outside. The lamp in the corner stutters to life, filling the small motel room with a cold wash of light from the corner. With a quick flick of his wrist, he releases Type: Null from the Pokéball, watching as the creature stretches, grateful to be out after having to spend an entire day tucked away. 

He gives Type: Null a lopsided smile as his entire body drops onto the bed, sitting on the edge and feeling his muscles ache for relief. When he glances down at his legs, he can see a new bruise forming on his shin. He wasn't sure what to expect when he agreed to accept working with Team Skull, but he had no idea that the grunt work they would shovel onto him would essentially be manual labor. He's proven his battling prowess a while ago, but they still have yet to trust him (which is fair enough, considering Gladion doesn't trust them in the slightest). For now, he's stuck mostly with odd jobs, transporting goods and having to be the occasional distraction as the other grunts make their escape. 

Type: Null gives him a curious look, and Gladion stands, patting the creature's neck as he mumbles, "Just a little tired, don't worry." He frowns, watching as the restless Pokémon goes to walk around the familiar room, doing its best to stretch its legs. "I'm sorry I can't take you out, but it's too dangerous." The apology feels hollow, but he pushes aside the feeling as he goes to the mini fridge to grab his dinner. 

There's half a bag of dried fruit, off-brand potato chips, and a soda that's been flat for a few days now. Gladion sighs, grabbing the dried fruit and making his way back to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the mattress and trying his best to smile as Type: Null settles down by the boy's feet. A beep from his Pokédex draws his attention, and as Gladion pulls out the device to see that it's just turned midnight. 

He sighs, falling back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling, wondering if this is what rock bottom looks like when you're  ~~fifteen~~  sixteen. 

"Happy birthday to me." 

 

* * *

 

He's woken up by someone repeatedly poking his cheek and whispering his name. 

That someone, as it turns out, is his girlfriend – the very same girlfriend he now almost regrets giving his house key to. 

"I thought you'd never wake up," Moon laughs, though she keeps her voice quiet. In the dark, he can still make out her smile, the familiar gray eyes as warm and electric as he remembers, yet they still make his heart stammer when he first opens his eyes. 

He sits up with a groan, brows furrowed as he takes a glance at the clock on his bedside table before looking back at her sitting on the edge of his bed. "You know I love when you visit, but waking me up at midnight is mildly concerning." Silvally watches from his bed in the corner, tired from a long day of running around Aether, and the relaxed way the Pokémon sits up and watches his owner confirms Gladion's suspicion that there's no catastrophe afoot. 

Moon leans in to place a kiss on his cheek, feeling his lips curl into a lazy smile before she sits back. "There's nothing to be worried about." She pauses, chewing her cheek in thought before shrugging and teasing, "Except for growing old." 

His brows furrow as his sleepy mind slowly tries to piece together the clues. "What day is it?" 

She grins, leaning down and sitting back up with a neatly wrapped present in her hand as she whispers with nothing but warmth in her voice, "Happy birthday, Gladion." 

He chuckles, stunned into silence for a few moments as he feels something light and warm settle in his stomach and spread throughout his body. "You're earlier than usual this year," he notes, still not sure how to process the fact that someone like her cares so much for him. 

"It's not every year that you turn 21." She gives him a wink, adding, "Besides, Hau and Lillie are planning the  _best_  party for later, so this is my only chance to one-up them." 

They share a laugh before it falls into a comfortable silence. Gladion reaches out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before his fingers linger on her cheek, tracing the freckles that he could spend forever counting. Moon subconsciously leans into his touch, her smile growing ever so slightly as she watches him with soft eyes.  

Before his heart can burst, she holds the present up once more, giving it a playful shake. "Do you want your present or not?" 

"I thought  _you_ were my present." 

Moon groans, rolling her eyes and giving him a light shove, though her giggle follows shortly after. Gladion grins, laughing as she laments, "You're the worst when you're sleepy." 

"So why'd you wake me up?" 

"Because I can't resist that bedhead." To prove her point, she gives him another kiss, this time on the crown of his head, before gently pressing the small box into his hands. "Now stop stalling and open it." 

He carefully unties the ribbon around it, then makes a small tear in the paper to reveal a ring box. Pausing, he looks up at Moon, but she only bites her lip and nods, urging him to open it. When he does, there's a ring of oddly familiar metal, two pieces wrapped around each other in a simple band. He lifts it out, and looks to Moon to question it, when she explains, "This is from the helmet that broke off when both of our Silvally's evolved. I found a jeweler who took metal from both and made this." 

"It's amazing," Gladion breathes, the rest of his air stolen from his lungs as he looks at the amazing craftsmanship. Feeling her eyes on him, he slips the ring onto his finger and finds that it's a perfect fit. Wanting to crack the final tension in the room, he meets her gaze and teases, "Are you proposing?" 

"Well, uh...sort of." 

This is the closest he may come to a heart attack. 

Gladion's eyes widen as he scans her face for any sign of a joke, but he only finds earnest embarrassment and a rosy blush building on her cheeks. He tries desperately to come up with some sort of response that could even begin to encapsulate the surprise, excitement, and love that he feels, but everything comes up short. 

Before the silence can stretch too long, Moon explains, "I know we're still too young, so this is more of – well, a promise to propose. At a better time and place." She chews her bottom lip before releasing the breath she's holding, reaching for his hand and gently tangling their fingers together with a small smile. "I just want to put the idea in your head, because it's something I've been thinking about." 

He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, but he keeps his eyes on the ground as he hesitates. "I never thought I'd get married." 

"Not a fan of marriage?" 

"No, no, I..." He trails off, and he goes to hold her other hand, pressing both to his lips before finally looking up at her with a happily stunned smile. "I just never thought I'd be this happy." 

The words break her heart and she lunges at him, hugging him tight even as they fall back onto the bed in a pile of limbs, Gladion laughing and Moon peppering his cheeks and jaw with kisses. When they settle, breathing synced in the dark of the room, Gladion sighs contentedly, no longer fighting the grin on his face as he holds her tighter. 

She gives him another kiss, this time lingering on the corner of his lips, gentle and sweet. When he looks down at her, she simply whispers, "Happy birthday, Gladion." 

And it's the happiest one so far. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the third Lonashipping Week prompt, "Time Skip." This is the shortest one, but I just wanted to break my own heart real quick and then fix it with lots of fluff.


End file.
